Is there a problem if you're NEVER sore?

[BodybuildingUniverse]

If you aree growing and prgressing I wouldnt worry about it. I have certainly trained with a few guys that just had a super recovery system while I can always hardly walk...I assume you eat pretty big.

 

[Jeremy21]

Soreness is not an accurate gauge of workout efficiency. No one is ecactly sure what causes delayed onset muscle soreness but it isn't lactic acid build up and its generally not muscle fiber tear (though it can be).
As long as you are progressing in weight in your exercises and are getting bigger you're doing fine.

kind regards,
jeremy

 

[The_Eviscerator]

Soreness is not an accurate gauge of workout efficiency. No one is ecactly sure what causes delayed onset muscle soreness but it isn't lactic acid build up and its generally not muscle fiber tear (though it can be).
As long as you are progressing in weight in your exercises and are getting bigger you're doing fine.

kind regards,
jeremy

EXACTLY! Just because you are sore as hell does not mean you have worked the muscle to the point where it will adapt and grow. Adaption and growth are the goal. Not breaking the muscle down and making it sore.

 

[buksoon]

Thanks guys!

I finally had my appointment with the trainer to gauge my work level. I told him: "Show no mercy! F*ckin' kill me! I want to be sore as hell!"

And he said: "Oh baby you came to the right place, I'll have you begging for mercy...."

But he did not work me a fraction as hard as I work myself.

So I just think: I'm not the sore type. Just gotta accept it, I guess.

 

[TheProject]

Buksoon, you're not the only one. I almost NEVER get sore. Quads and calves have been the exception to that rule a few times, and my chest was sore this week for about a day, and that was it.

I have a trainer with me every day, and believe me, she wears me out!

I'll live with recovering well.

 

[diablo135]

Analyze your routine, maybe it's not working for you. I tend to get sore almost all the time on everybody part but not everyone does. This one girl I trained for a few weeks NEVER got sore. I wasn't with her on all her workouts, so I assumed she lacked the proper intensity. So when I was with her, I would torture her. I would even do plyometrics on occaision. She never got sore. I would think she would be even more sore because she hardly ate anything. Believe me, I harped on her all the time. At least I got her to add more protein to her diet. The point is, if you are getting stronger/bigger/cut, etc and have the energy, it's working. If not, something is wrong. I notice that many people, women especially, tend to lift too slow. Form is great, but it becomes a point of diminishing returns. They can't life enough weight.

 

[karde]

When I finish a leg workout, I walk out of the gym like I am drunk. But sorness doesn't set in until the next day.

 

[buksoon]

Diablo

Lift too slow? I thought there was no such thing! Lifting too fast is the prob (the weights too light).

When I'm on my last few reps (after rep 5), it takes a loooong time to complete the lift, and control the negative.

Another trainer just told me: "If you're really never sore and want to grow, try to work out a muscle group more FREQUENTLY. Instead of every 5 days, try every 4. You don't need that much rest/recovery time." Make sense?

All you guys: THANKS!!

 

[diablo135]

buksoon

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad we all have a forum to exchange ideas. I come to the boards before my workout to get hyped!

 

[Punschkrapfen]

Several scientific studies show that there is a gender difference in the development of muscle soreness. Stupka et al (Journal of Applied Physiology 89/6 (2000), 2325) conclude "that muscle damage is similar between genders, yet the inflammatory response is attenuated in women vs. men". Some researches attribute this difference to increased estrogen levels in females:
http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/archive/1999/090799estrogen.html
http://www.caaws.ca/Health/estrogen_aug24.htm
(but, of course, this link is not proven).

I didn't find any evidence for data on people who don't develop soreness at all, but there should be some, whose reaction is so attenuated, that they don't feel anything at all. If the estrogen link is correct, than research could focus e.g. on females taking oral contraceptives, which should make a difference then.

Based on these studies, muscle soreness is not a reliable indicator for the quality of the individual's workout.